CALVIN BURCHFIEL

Exhibition of “Contemplating Crows” by artist Calvin Burchfiel. The exhibit consisted of hand crafted masks, a video performance and a natural expanding polaroid photo gallery of guests wearing his masks.

CONTEMPLATING CROWS「烏の瞑想」カルビン・バーチフィールCALVIN BURCHFIEL

04.20.2018 - 04.30.2018

ARTIST RECEPTION 04.21.2018 19:00 - 22:00

Contemplating Crows

Aqueous lines spread across the curves of the masks like a nervous system, blooming, condensing and cascading over the surface inferring both the natural and artificial. Neon colors and dull hues swirl and combine while maintaining stark contrast, suggesting the overlay of humanity with nature, the digital with the analogue, and the futuristic with the ancient. The repetition of the masks contrast with the randomly varying patterns over the surface of each. Unity and conformity clash with individuality and chaos through their arrangement.

The surfaces of the masks invoke Japanese mythology, while the undulating and colorful patterns obscure their shape. A bizarre three-dimensional portal to an unfamiliar world, the dysmorphic faces of the masks transport us and remove our illusions of humanity. Ancient wisdom fuses with the modern and the wearer is compelled to perform, possessed by the spirit of the mask. By incorporating the masks into live performances, both the performers and the audience are engaged in celebrating unity through contrast.

Interactive portion of the exhibition. Visitors were able to select a mask and be photographed with an small instant camera (we used Fujifilm Instax seen in the final photo). Even though everyone is wearing a mask, it's interesting to try and guess a person's personality by their body language.